Clean Energy Helped India Absorb the West Asia Shock: Bharat Renewable Energy Summit Opens in New Delhi
The first Bharat Renewable Energy Summit & Expo (BRESE) 2026 opened on 2 November 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. It runs for four days, until 5 November.
For the first time, three events are being held together: BRESE 2026, the 9th session of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Assembly, and the 4th International Conference on Green Hydrogen. Over 120 countries were invited.
In the inaugural address, the government said that India's investments in clean energy helped the economy keep growing despite the West Asia crisis, which disrupted global oil and gas supplies.
It warned that depending too much on fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) exposes a country to global disruptions, because India imports most of its oil.
India is seeking about USD 220 billion of clean energy investment. As of 31 July 2026, India's non-fossil power capacity had crossed 300 GW, over 60% of its 500 GW target for 2030.
International Solar Alliance (ISA)
The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an international organisation of countries that work together to use more solar energy. It was started by India and France in 2015. Its aim is to bring down the cost of solar power and of the money needed to build it, so that poorer and sunnier countries can switch to clean energy faster. The ISA is headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana, which makes it one of the very few treaty-based international organisations with headquarters in India.
The 9th ISA Assembly is being held in New Delhi together with BRESE 2026. This links India's message about clean energy and energy security at home with its leadership role abroad: India is using the ISA to show that solar power can protect countries from the kind of oil and gas shocks the West Asia crisis caused.
India's Energy Security and Import Dependence
Energy security means a country can always get the energy it needs, at a price it can afford. For India, the biggest weakness is oil: India imports most of the crude oil it uses, much of it from or through West Asia. When war or tension disrupts supply, oil prices jump, India's import bill rises, the rupee comes under pressure and prices of fuel and goods go up for ordinary people. Producing more energy at home, especially from the sun and wind, reduces this risk.
The government's message at BRESE is that clean energy is not only a climate goal but an energy security tool. Every unit of power from domestic solar or wind is a unit that does not depend on supply routes through a troubled West Asia.
India's Renewable Energy and Non-Fossil Fuel Capacity Targets
India has set clear goals to produce more of its electricity from clean sources like the sun, wind, water and nuclear power, and less from coal. The biggest is to build 500 GW of non-fossil fuel electricity capacity by 2030. India also promised, in its updated climate pledge under the Paris Agreement, that 50% of its installed electricity capacity would come from non-fossil sources by 2030.
BRESE 2026 is meant to attract the investment needed to close the gap between about 300 GW today and 500 GW by 2030. The government is presenting the progress so far as proof that clean energy has already made the economy more resilient.
- BRESE 2026: 2 to 5 November 2026, Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi (first edition)
- Held together with the 9th ISA Assembly and the 4th International Conference on Green Hydrogen
- Investment sought: about USD 220 billion in clean energy
- Non-fossil capacity: about 300.5 GW (31 July 2026), over 60% of the 500 GW target for 2030
- Total installed power capacity: about 552 GW (July 2026), non-fossil share over 54%
- Solar capacity: about 164.6 GW (July 2026), up from 2.8 GW in 2014
- Crude oil import dependence: about 88% (2023-24 to 2025-26)
- ISA: launched 2015 (COP21), in force 6 December 2017, HQ Gurugram